Hamilton LRT Art
Spotlight on History

NRU
Sept. 20, 2017
Sarah Niedoba

Hamilton’s King Street was once an Indigenous footpath which ran west towards what are now the communities of Grimsby and St. Catharines. It’s a legacy that the local councillor wants to highlight by including Indigenous artwork at the Hamilton LRT stops which will run along the King Street corridor.

Ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson proposed the idea, which was adopted by Hamilton’s LRT subcommittee at its meeting on September 12.The motion directs staff to communicate to Metrolinx, the province and the federal government the city’s desire to have Indigenous art showcased at the LRT stops.

The $1-billion provincially funded LRT will run 14-km from McMaster University in the west to Eastgate Square in the east. Council approved the submission of an updated environmental assessment to the province in April. A contract is expected to be awarded by the end of 2018, with construction scheduled to begin in 2019.

Johnson says that including Indigenous art at the LRT’s 17 stops is a way to acknowledge King Street’s heritage.

“To me, it makes perfect sense to recognize King Street as a historical Indigenous trail,” Johnson told NRU. “We have an opportunity to bridge the past and the future of this street—what it once was, and what it will now become with the introduction of the LRT.”

Mayor Fred Eisenberger agrees and told NRU that including Indigenous art at the LRT stops is consistent with the city’s upcoming Urban Indigenous Strategy. The strategy—which is currently in its research stage and anticipated to be completed in December 2018—will identify actions to strengthen the city’s relationship with its Indigenous community.

“We need to be thinking about how we reflect the Indigenous history we have here in this city, and I fully agree with a motion that would help to highlight that,” he says.

The motion also directs staff to communicate with Hamilton’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee on the type of art that would be most appropriate, and to consider the costs, policy considerations and cultural protocols that might be involved with the project. Staff is to report back to the general issues committee at its meeting December 1.